France Ligue 1 – Lille v Dijon Preview (20/8/16)

LSOC somehow found a way to lose last week against Metz (2-3). They led twice in that contest but conceded two late penalties to succumb to defeat. That loss rather topped off a miserable start to the season for Frederic Antonetti’s men. They were knocked out of the Europa League at the first attempt by Azerbaijani opposition in embarrassing fashion. Injury news isn't good either. Key playmaker Sofiane Boufal remains on the sidelines and he’s joined by Mounir Obbadi & Rony Lopes who have picked up new issues. Lopes scored twice last week and looked threatening so his presence could be missed. I have to say result wise Lille were excellent in the second half of last season under Antonetti but right now they appear to be in a slump, finding ways to fuck up games.

Dijon preview

Les Rouges lost their first game back in the top flight, going down 0-1 at home to Nantes. They weren't too bad in that contest, but struggled to create chances and this is the harsh reality of life in Ligue 1. They won't be able to bulldoze their way through many soft defences this season and are in for a much tougher year. Maybe a similar thing could occur here. They are unlikely to see much of the ball and chances could be at a premium. However, Lille are unlikely to defend that deep so Dijon should be able to counter attack at times. They were very useful at doing this last season in Ligue 2 and there are some pacey players in the squad. Injury news is favourable, although new midfielder Marvin Martin won't be fit enough to face his former club.

Conclusion & betting analysis

Lille really should be winning this match. They have superior quality and come the end of the 90 mins that should shine through. But they are missing some important players to injury and without Boufal you always worry if they can create enough opportunities. They've already lost to a promoted team and the way things are going at the moment, would it be a shock if they did the same again here? I could imagine Lille dominating the match, missing chances yet somehow failing to win. Dijon are in a low pressure situation here. Nobody expects them to do much so they could be quite relaxed. My gut feeling is that the visitors will find a way to get at least a point. Logically, this should be a home win, but logic isn’t really applying to any Lille games at the moment.